History of the SD group

In 1993 AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry started to work with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). We started out by calculating carbon and eco footprints for some Swedish Business Units, from this work a group was formed which focused specifically on LCA. This was the start of the current sustainable Development-group. It was around 2002 that a new sense of the importance of sustainability was developed within the AkzoNobel organization at the same time the Sustainable Development-group started their EU LIFE Environment project DANTES. Experiencing first-hand the expertise and know-how of the Sustainable Development-group during several meetings and pilot projects, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) director of AkzoNobel decided that the Sustainable Development-group would be responsible for introducing Eco-Efficiency Assessment (EEA) within the whole company. This decision, made at the end of 2005, was mainly based on the belief that EEA is an excellent tool for obtaining figures and goals to make more efficient solutions for the future. After introducing EEA in the company, the carbon and eco footprint of the whole organization of AkzoNobel were calculated. This means that the environmental impact of all the Business Units of AkzoNobel with their key products had been mapped. We believe that AkzoNobel is a frontrunner in this area.

Starting out as a one-man adventure, the Sustainable Development-group has now become a professional organization, which includes experts from different nationalities and backgrounds - ranging from chemistry and environmental sciences to economics and management- all with a strong focus on sustainability.